Kamloops North Shore Business Improvement Association

115 Tranquille Rd, Kamloops, BC V2B 3E5

250-376-2411 info@nsbia.com www.nsbia.com

North Shore Business Association

2017 Safe Street Survey
NSBIA Business Survey Background

For the past two summers (2016, 2017) there has been a marked increase of street level
problems felt by our members within our business improvement area. The majority of these
complaints are coming from our members in the south end of the Tranquille Market Corridor
(Yew Street south along Tranquille Road to the Overlanders Bridge) These have been
described by our members in that area as increases in the following:
~ Daytime and night time street level prostitution.
~ Street level drug dealing and transportation.
~ Street level illegal drug use.
~ Aggressive and negative loitering.
~ Transient camping and defecation around businesses.
~ Belligerent activity by person(s) with no ties to the community and who refuse to enter the
social care system.
~ General disruption and negative impressions on consumer and public opinion of the Tranquille
Market business area.

The North Shore Business Association is part of the City of Kamloops Coordinated Enforcement
Task Force (CETF) and is actively involved in its working groups. The CETF is made up of
business associations, enforcement agencies, key city staff, and social and medical service
providers. Through 2016 and into 2017 the CETF has been working together to help mitigate the
recent problems identified by the NSBIA and its members, and other stakeholders across
Kamloops.

In working with these partners on street level problems it became evident that a better way of
compiling the issues facing our members would be needed to complement the current complaint
based communication of second hand stories and anecdotes. The NSBIA decided to survey its
members and compile that information directly from them on the following themes:
~ Have you noticed an increase in the homeless or transient population and has it negatively
affected your business?
~ Have you noticed an increase in street level drug dealing and/or open drug use and has that
negatively affected your business?
~ Has street level drug debris such as discarded needles, pipes and lighters increased around
your business and has it negatively affected your business?
~ Have you noticed an increase in street level prostitution and has that negatively affected your
business?
~ Have you noticed an increase in street level vandalism and/or graffiti and has it negatively
affected your business.
~ Do you believe any of these problems have the attention of any level of government?
~ Do you think enough is being done to counter these types of problems?

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Kamloops North Shore Business Improvement Association
115 Tranquille Rd, Kamloops, BC V2B 3E5
250-376-2411 info@nsbia.com www.nsbia.com

Objective

The Safe Streets Surveys objective is to gauge the opinion of our members based on those
themes. The survey was available to our members for input from August 2 to September 1,
2017 as a link at www.nsbia.com . Businesses could also do their survey through paper form or
call in to the NSBIA offices and complete one over the phone. 140 businesses completed the
survey. There were 2 businesses from the downtown area and 1 from the TKemlups lands who
also completed the survey. Their input was not included in the surveys results.

Commercial Areas Response

The majority of respondents were from the Tranquille Market Corridor. The Tranquille Market
Corridor is the commercial area from the intersection of Tranquille Road, Fortune Drive, and 8 th
Street to the Overlanders Bridge. It is identified by large signs at the north and south ends of the
market. For respondents from the Tranquille Market, the majority of problems reported were
from Yew Street south to Overlanders Bridge.

In follow up phone calls with businesses from the Brocklehurst Shopping Centre, Northills
Centre, Fortune Shopping Centre and the 8th Street and 12th Street Corridors; it was found that
those business areas were not as affected by the problems mentioned as the Tranquille Market.
(see charts below for commercial district responses)

Conclusion

Concerns over the surge in street level safety issues were predominantly concentrated in the
south end of the Tranquille Market Corridor. These issues were not felt or reported as intensely
in our other commercial areas.

Our businesses do not see this as solely a North Shore problem but, for our purpose and area,
more defined to one section of one commercial district within our business improvement area.

Concerns and incidents regarding these issues were reported through the City of Kamloops
over the summer of 2017. Other areas of Kamloops also raised concerns over the massing of
street level safety issues.

Cooperation

The information gathered in the survey has been shared with primary social service providers,
enforcement agencies, and city staff through briefings with them. The data has been welcomed
and used to better identify problem areas and short term and long term solutions to the issues
raised.

Steps taken by our partners in the CETF, actions already in motion and those the survey helped
bring focus to, have resulted in a direct reduction on the issues identified by our members.

The NSBIA Board of Directors and our member businesses have asked that this survey happen
every year for benchmarking.
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Kamloops North Shore Business Improvement Association
115 Tranquille Rd, Kamloops, BC V2B 3E5
250-376-2411 info@nsbia.com www.nsbia.com

NSBIA Consumer Survey Background

The Safe Street Survey was intended for businesses within the North Shore Business
Improvement Area (North Kamloops and Brocklehurst). The survey was available online through
our website on August 2, 2017. It became obvious from the amount and length of social media
posts, as well as emails and phone calls to the NSBIA offices, the issues raised were of strong
importance to all members of the community.

Due to the amount of requests received by NSBIA staff for a Safe Street Survey for residents of
the North Shore, as well as from across the City of Kamloops, staff consulted the NSBIA Board
of Directors as well as key businesses to discuss an additional survey. The direction given was
a survey for North Shore residents was outside of the mandate for a business association and
beyond our organizations resources to manage. It was felt that a brief survey targeting
consumers of North Shore businesses would be appropriate.

Objective

The objective of the survey was to measure the opinion of respondents on the following key
questions:
~ What part of Kamloops are you from?
~ Do you regularly shop on the North Shore?
~ Have you experience street level safety problems during your shopping experience?
~ Have these problems deterred you from shopping at North Shore businesses?
~ Did you report any of these problems to the business you were at or to any authority?

The survey would be web based and promoted through social media. It was available for input
from August 21 to September 1, 2017. During that time 998 unique users completed the online
survey.

Consumer Areas Response

As with the business survey, the consumer response primarily identified the south end of the
Tranquille Market Corridor as the key problem area. They also identified the transit interchange
area on the north side of Northills Centre as an area of concern. Respondents could choose
more than one commercial area of concern.

Conclusion

The customers of our businesses felt strong enough about the issues listed to demand their own
survey. Almost 1,000 community members who shop on the North Shore responded to the
survey.

Our business consumers felt this was a Kamloops wide problem. The majority of local issues
taking place in the same areas as identified by our businesses; along with the Northills Centre
transit interchange area.

When encountering the issues listed, 84% of consumers said they felt unsafe.
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Kamloops North Shore Business Improvement Association
115 Tranquille Rd, Kamloops, BC V2B 3E5
250-376-2411 info@nsbia.com www.nsbia.com

Cooperation

The information gathered in the consumer survey has also been shared with our primary social
service providers, enforcement agencies, and city staff through briefings with them. The data
has been welcomed and used to better identify problem areas. All partners briefed on the survey
have taken action or proposed future action based on the results of both surveys.

The NSBIA Board of Directors and our member businesses have asked that a consumer survey
accompany any business surveys of this nature.

2017 North Shore Business Association

Safe Street Survey
Member Businesses Only
August 2 to September 1, 2017
Location of Business Respondent
Tranquille Market 76.3%
Brocklehurst Shopping Area 7.9%
12th Street Corridor 2.9%
Fortune Shopping Area 2.9%
Northills Centre 2.9%
8th Street Corridor 2.2%

Have you seen an increase in the homeless or transient population

since this time last year?
Yes 78.4%
No 11.5%
Not relevant/Dont know 10.1%

Have you had a problem with loitering or drug use around your
business?
Often 78.4%
Sometimes 16.5%
Rarely 7.2%
Never 2.2%
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Kamloops North Shore Business Improvement Association
115 Tranquille Rd, Kamloops, BC V2B 3E5
250-376-2411 info@nsbia.com www.nsbia.com

Business only survey continued

Have you had a problem with street level drug users either using
or suffering the after effects of illegal drugs inside or outside of
your business space?
Often 51.8%
Sometimes 29.5%
Rarely 12.2%
Never 6.5%

Have you noticed any drug use debris (needles, pipes, lighters,
etc.) in and around your business space?
Often 59.0%
Sometimes 23.0%
Rarely 10.1%
Never 7.9%

Is this type of debris an ongoing concern for you?

Often 58.0%
Sometimes 19.6%
Rarely 11.6%
Never 10.8%

Have you suffered any graffiti or tagging on the outside or inside

of your business space?
Often 33.1%
Sometimes 34.5%
Rarely 17.3%
Never 15.1%

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Kamloops North Shore Business Improvement Association
115 Tranquille Rd, Kamloops, BC V2B 3E5
250-376-2411 info@nsbia.com www.nsbia.com

Business only survey continued

Have you seen an increase in the amount of street vandalism since

this time last year?
Yes 54.0%
No 18.0%
Not relevant/Dont know 28.1%

Have you seen an increase in the amount product loss due to theft
or vandalism since this time last year?
Yes 37.4%
No 39.6%
Not relevant/Dont know 23.0%

Do you believe street level problems have the attention of any level
of government (municipal, provincial, federal)?
Yes 21.5%
No 54.0%
Not relevant/Dont know 24.5%

Do you believe enough is being done to counter street level

problems on the North Shore or across Kamloops?
Often 2.2%
Sometimes 26.6%
Rarely 44.6%
Never 26.6%

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Kamloops North Shore Business Improvement Association
115 Tranquille Rd, Kamloops, BC V2B 3E5
250-376-2411 info@nsbia.com www.nsbia.com

2017 North Shore Business Association

Safe Street Survey
Consumer Requested Survey Only
August 21 to September 1, 2017

What part of Kamloops do you live in?

North Kamloops 32.9%
Brocklehurst 25.5%
Westsyde 13.7%
Downtown 4.6%
Batchelor Heights 4.5%
Other (Sahali, Aberdeen, 10.9%
Valleyview, out of town)

Do you regularly shop on the North Shore?

Regularly/Constantly 66.3%
Sometimes 30.9%
Never 2.8%

Have you experienced problems with loitering or drug use at the

businesses you shop at?
Often 59.4%
Sometimes 32.0%
Rarely 6.0%
Never 2.6%

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Kamloops North Shore Business Improvement Association
115 Tranquille Rd, Kamloops, BC V2B 3E5
250-376-2411 info@nsbia.com www.nsbia.com

Consumer Requested only survey continued

Have these problems discouraged you from shopping at a

business?
Often 37.8%
Sometimes 45.9%
Rarely 8.3%
Never 8.1%

Have you reported any of these issues to the business you were
at?
Often 15.1%
Sometimes 30.8%
Rarely 23.7%
Never 30.3%

Have you reported any of these issues to the authorities?

Yes 23.0%
No 60.9%
Not applicable 16.1%

Media Contact:
Steven L. Puhallo, Executive Director - NSBIA
250-371-7654
steven@nsbia.com